It was almost lost forever... now it has been saved from ruin
The Old Library in Oldham, a Grade II listed building, has been restored after nearly a decade of closure due to deterioration. The £multi-million renovation project has transformed it into the new town hall, preserving original features while adding modern amenities. The building will house the Oldham Theatre Workshop, council offices, and a new town hall chamber, with a public opening scheduled for August 16. The project has been praised for revitalizing a derelict site and instilling civic pride.
Oldham’s 150-year-old Old Library, shuttered since 2017 after its roof neared collapse and water poured down the grand staircase, will reopen on 16 August as the town’s new council headquarters and public cultural hub.
The £-multi-million rescue—led by contractor Tilbury Douglas—restored sagging beams, retained original stained glass and sand-coloured masonry, and inserted a glass-walled lift rising through a three-storey atrium. Ground-floor rehearsal space with full stage and lighting rigs becomes the permanent home of Oldham Theatre Workshop, whose former students include Doctor Who’s Millie Gibson and Waterloo Road’s Noah Valentine. Councillors will occupy frosted-glass first-floor offices and a mayor’s lounge, while the top floor unveils a semi-circular council chamber clad in dark wood and a public gallery flanked by a new exhibition space for borough archives.
Council leader Arooj Shah said the project “isn’t just bricks and mortar” but a statement that residents “are cared and thought about,” turning a symbol of neglect into what she calls “the heart of democracy.” Members are scheduled to hold their first full meeting in the chamber in September, ending almost a decade of exile from the crumbling landmark off Union Street.
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